


What's Best

by StarrySummers04



Series: It Was Always You [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Genre: Adopted Peter Parker, Best friends being supportive, Bisexual Tony Stark, Gay Bruce Banner, M/M, Mpreg, Mutual Pining, Peter Parker is Bruce Banner's Biological Child, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Pregnant Bruce Banner, non-graphic birth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:29:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25359229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarrySummers04/pseuds/StarrySummers04
Summary: Bruce finds out that he's pregnant after spending the night with Tony, but doesn't want to tell Tony about it. Luckily, he has the support of his friends. Tony is pining so his friends stage an intervention to get him to talk about his feelings.
Relationships: Bruce Banner/Tony Stark, Mary Parker/Richard Parker
Series: It Was Always You [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1823479
Comments: 5
Kudos: 62





	1. Chapter 1

(January 2001)

Bruce was worried, he’d not been very well since he’d had sex with Tony Stark and he was running out of suggestions for what could be wrong. Niggling at the back of his mind was the thought that he might be pregnant, but he wanted to make sure that nothing else could possibly be the correct diagnosis. Of course, it would have been quicker to just take a pregnancy test, but Bruce was terrified. The last thing he wanted to do was find out that he was pregnant with Tony Stark’s baby, that would make life so much more complicated than it already was.

“Bruce, what’s going on with you?” Betty asked.

“I don’t know.” Bruce replied, honestly.

“Really? You have such an incredible mind and you don’t know what’s wrong with you?” Mary checked.

“I have a few ideas.” Richard added.

“I think I know what’s wrong.” Bruce frowned.

“I think you’re pregnant.” Mary pointed out, moving to Bruce’s side and gently rubbing his back.

“We’re all here for you.” Richard smiled.

“I don’t want to do a test because I don’t want to know. But if I am, I want to know because I need to look after the baby as best as I can. I’m feeling very conflicted.” Bruce explained.

“Let’s get you a test.” Mary smiled, sadly.

“I’m so sorry, I never thought about how this would affect you.” Bruce apologised.

“Bruce, it’s not your fault. Just because Richard and I are struggling to have a baby doesn’t mean everyone does.” Mary replied. Of course, it made her sad that she and her husband had been trying to have a baby for a few years and still hadn’t conceived whereas Bruce was potentially pregnant by accident after having a one night stand. 

“I don’t know what I’m going to do if I am.” Bruce sighed, following Mary to a drug store.

“How about we see if you’re pregnant before stressing about it.” Mary suggested.

“That sounds like a plan.” Bruce smiled, letting Mary lead him inside and choose with tests he should take. They paid for them, talking to each other the whole time so the cashier wouldn’t talk to them and comment on the purchase. Bruce felt nervous enough without a total stranger’s offhand comments.

It didn’t take them long to get back to Bruce’s house, slightly off campus but close enough for him to get there by walking. Bruce went into the bathroom to take the test whilst Mary went into the kitchen to put on the kettle and make them both a cup of tea. Bruce couldn’t have coffee right now. Sure, he hadn’t taken the test yet but Mary was 99% certain that Bruce was pregnant. When he came into the kitchen holding a positive test, Mary just pulled him into a hug.

“We’re here for you and we’ll support you no matter what, Bruce.” Mary soothed. “Are you going to tell the other father?” She asked. No one could blame Mary for being curious, Bruce hadn’t told anyone about the man he’d slept with that night and they were all curious. Bruce never slept around so they were shocked someone had managed to get the man into bed. They’d resigned themselves to never finding out about it though.

* * *

(February 2001)

Bruce looked at the scrap of paper containing Tony’s number and he debated contacting the man, considering he was currently carrying the man’s baby. In the end, he put the paper away, somewhere safe that he could get it out at a later date and have this same debate with himself. It was easier to just keep it to himself, he doubted he would ever see Tony again so the man would never need to know.

What Bruce didn’t know was that Tony Stark was standing in his Malibu mansion, looking out of the window at the sea and thinking about the intriguing scientist he’d met at Christmas. Tony often did this, especially when he’s lonely. Which was basically all of the time. He hadn’t even been out and slept with anyone since he’d met Bruce. He kept hoping that maybe Bruce would change his mind and give him a call, but he never did. Tony supposed he deserved that, he had one hell of a reputation, Bruce had no reason to believe Tony was being genuine, but it still hurt.

* * *

(March 2001)

“Are you excited to be a dad?” Richard asked as everyone crowded around Bruce, wanting to touch the now obvious bump. At 4 months along, it had become rather obvious

“Honestly, no. How am I supposed to have a kid? I’m not prepared, I don’t make enough money. I want this baby so much, I love them but I won’t be a good dad.” Bruce replied.

“What about the other father? Can’t he help you?” Betty asked.

“I haven’t told him.” Bruce admitted. Richard and Betty gasped in shock. Mary already knew Bruce had no intentions of telling whoever the other dad was about their baby.

“Bruce, I’m sure this other guy would like to know. Surely, you owe him that much.” Betty stated.

“I’m the one carrying this baby, it’s up to me.” Bruce replied, stubbornly.

* * *

(April 2001)

“Are you never going to tell anyone about the other father?” Mary asked, already knowing the answer. Bruce let out a deep breath.

“If I tell you then you can’t share it with anyone. I guess it would be nice to tell someone and get it off my chest.” Bruce accepted. “You can’t even tell Richard.”

“I won’t tell anyone, Bruce. If you choose to confide in me, I promise I will take your secret to my grave.” Mary assured. “But you don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to.”

“Do you remember at Christmas when Tony Stark visited?” Bruce asked.

“Yes…”

“I may have slept with him. And we didn’t use protection.” Bruce trailed off.

“You’re having Tony Stark’s baby? No wonder you don’t want to tell anyone.” Mary frowned.

“I don’t imagine he would take it well. I would probably be accused of lying about who the father actually is. So, I don’t want to go through that.” Bruce said, tears starting to fall. Mary pulled him in for a hug. “I just don’t know what to do.”

“I know it would be hard but I suppose you could always give your baby up for adoption?” Mary suggested. “It’s something that Richard and I have been looking into.”

* * *

(May 2001)

“What are you planning to do about the baby?” Mary asked, it had been a while since they had last spoken about it. Bruce had come over to see her and Richard but Richard was out buying groceries.

“Actually, I’d been wanting to talk to you about that.” Bruce started.

“What’s going on?”

“I was wondering if you and Richard would like to adopt my baby. I know you would do a great job looking after him.” Bruce sniffled.

“Him? It’s a boy? And really? Me and Richard?” Mary breathed.

“I know you and Richard will give him the best life possible. I love my baby and I want to be in his life, but I don’t think I’m what he needs. I just want what’s best for him.” Bruce cried. Mary wrapped her arms around him. She obviously needed to talk to her husband, but short of having their own baby, this was the best thing she could think of. Any child of Bruce’s would have an incredible mind and it would be an honour to raise him and nurture whatever mental talent the little boy had. “I know I’m not what’s best for him.” Bruce sobbed. Mary held him tighter. Just as Richard opened the door.

“What’s going on?” Richard asked, feeling very confused. He was also sad that Bruce was unhappy. The Parker’s hated when their friends were sad.

“Bruce wants us to adopt his baby boy.” Mary replied, holding Bruce tighter.

“You’d really trust us that much?” Richard checked.

“Of course I would. There’s no one I would trust more.” Bruce assured. Richard and Mary shared a look.

“We would love to. We will follow your lead though, anything you want him to know, or not know will be your decision, not ours. We know this is a difficult decision for you and we want you to be in his life, no matter what capacity you want it to be in.” Richard explained. Bruce reached over to his longtime friend and pulled Richard into the hug.

“Thank you.” Bruce whispered.

* * *

Bruce spent a lot of time over the next couple of months sorting things out for Mary and Richard to adopt his son. He occasionally got the number out of his drawer and looked at it again, debating whether to tell Tony but his mind was made up and he couldn’t do that to Mary and Richard. Bruce got to have a say in how the nursery would look, what schools Mary and Richard would send the boy to considering they were moving to New York. They had been offered a job with a friend of theirs, Norman Osborn. Bruce kept his thoughts to himself on that man, considering he was one of Tony’s business rivals. Baby boy was due in September, but one day in early/mid August, the physicist started feeling weird.


	2. Tony's Thoughts

“Tony, what the hell is going on with you?” Rhodey asked. Tony had been acting very out of character since his visit to Culver University at Christmas and his friends were starting to get concerned. And by friends, that meant Rhodey Pepper and Happy.

“Nothing.” Tony replied.

“Look, usually that would be good enough but I’ve known you for too long now. I know that answer is bullshit.” Rhodey argued.

“Maybe I don’t want to fucking talk about it.”

“I’m sure you don’t but you need to talk to someone, Tony. You’re not yourself.” Rhodey tried. He just wanted to look after his friend.

“Fuck. No one is going to believe me.”

“Try me.” Rhodey challenged.

“I met someone.” Tony replied.

“I’m sorry?”

“I met someone, back at Christmas and I can’t get him out of my fucking head.” Tony answered.

“You’re hung up on a guy?” Rhodey repeated.

“You’re not a fucking parrot. You don’t need to repeat what I say.” Tony snapped.

“Give me a break, I was just surprised. You’ve never fixated on anyone before. Do you want to talk about it?” Rhodey asked.

“Not really.” Tony replied. “But I guess I need to, don’t I?”

“I’m not saying that, but I really think keeping it to yourself is having a negative effect on you and you need to confide in someone.” Rhodey suggested. Tony sighed loudly. He wasn’t good at expressing his feelings. Pepper and Happy entered the room, having been listening in on their conversation.

“Come on, Tony. It’s not like you to get stuck on one person. We just want to be here for you.” Pepper said, softly.

“And you are.” Tony smiled, gently. “Fine, if you guys want story time then I guess we can do that. I want a drink, preferably whiskey before we have this conversation. Feel free to fix yourselves a drink first.” Tony downed the first glass of whiskey without thinking about, before pouring himself another one to sit down with. Rhodey chose not to have a drink, as did Happy as he still expected to be driving people about but Pepper accepted a glass of wine and sat down on the couch in between Rhodey and Happy.

“So, start at the beginning.” Pepper suggested.

“Really? I was going to start at the end which would mean there’s nothing more to tell you.” Tony snarked.

“That’s hardly necessary.” Happy frowned.

“Look, we get that you’re upset, something that has never happened before is suddenly something you are going to have to deal with. Liking someone that doesn’t like you back, unfortunately it’s something you’re going to have to live with, but that doesn’t mean you can take your bad mood out on us.” Pepper stated. When she originally got the job as Tony Stark’s PA, she never imagined that one day she’d be one of his closest friends.

“So, you met someone at Christmas…” Happy trailed off.

“Yes, absolutely gorgeous, smart, funny, I’ve never met anyone like him before.” Tony smiled, reminiscing about the night he’d spent with Bruce.

“What was his name?” Happy asked.

“I’d rather not disclose that information. He’s a scientist, brilliant mind, even better body.” Tony smiled.

“He’s someone we could track then, if we knew his name?” Rhodey asked.

“Probably, but I want him to be left alone. If he chooses to contact me then that’s up to him but I don’t want to force him into anything.” Tony replied.

“It’s good that you’re accepting he may not be interested in you.” Pepper said.

“He was certainly interested when I fucked him into the mattress.” Tony snarked. Rhodey and Happy rolled their eyes, and Pepper raised her eyebrows.

“Maybe that’s all he was interested in?” Pepper suggested.

“I know, I just wish I was able to talk to him, tell him that I’m interested. We didn’t exactly get much of a chance to talk.” Tony said, frowning. “I gave him my number and told him he could call whenever he wanted to.”

“You’ve never done that before.” Happy observed.

“I know I haven’t, there’s just something about him. I can’t get him out of my head. I don’t know what to do, this has never happened before. I can’t even find it in me to sleep with anyone else right now. It won’t be as good. He was so good. I’d do anything to see him again but he clearly doesn’t want that and it’s driving me insane.” Tony rambled.

“How typical is it that the first person you actually want to be with, doesn’t want you back?” Rhodey commented, trying not to laugh. He’d been friends with Tony for too long so he could get away with making a comment like that when no one else could. Pepper couldn’t help laughing, setting off both Rhodey and Happy - she’d probably had a bit too much wine.

“I’m sorry, Tony, I can’t help but agree. This is the first time you haven’t gotten your way, honestly it should have happened before you turned 30, but you’re very rich so it hasn’t. Most people have been through this, but when they were younger which means it’s easier to deal with when you’re older.” Rhodey explained.

“It hurts.” Tony said.

“I know it does, it will get easier though.” Rhodey offered, moving to pull his friend into a hug. Rhodey remembered how everyone fell over themselves to end up in Tony’s bed during their time at MIT, he’d never met his match though. Clearly, this guy was someone who matched with Tony and that was taking the billionaire by surprise. All Rhodey could think was, if they were meant to be together then they would find their way back to each other. Everyone just hoped that Tony would be back to himself soon. Or that this man would get in touch, but everyday that passed without contact, Rhodey and Happy believed it was more and more unlikely that this man ever would. Pepper was more of a romantic and hoped things would work out.


	3. Chapter 3

It was a bright and sunny day in August when Bruce started feeling weird, but there was so much to do. They were still finishing up with the nursery, expecting there to be another month before the baby was born. In the end, Peter came a matter of hours after Bruce began to feel weird.

It had started with what Bruce initially thought were braxton hicks, the fake contractions that had been bothering him on and off for the last month or so, but the pain was tolerable, so he didn’t think anything of it. He just carried on as usual, pottering about the house, making sure that everything was ready. However, when they didn’t stop and had been continuous for over 6 hours, he began to get concerned. That was when the contractions truly began to start. Bruce had always considered himself to be someone with a high tolerance for pain but this was getting ridiculous. “MARY! RICHARD!” He exclaimed. Both of them came rushing into the room. “I need to go to the hospital.” They both rushed around for a few minutes, ensuring that they had everything they needed before taking Bruce to hospital.

* * *

When Bruce was taken into a room, Mary and Richard had to wait outside, much to their displeasure. They wanted someone to be in that room with Bruce so that he wasn’t alone, but as neither of them were the other father, they weren’t allowed. It was very upsetting for Bruce, having to be alone - it was at this moment that he wished he’d told Tony, just to have a chance at someone being in the room with him. He couldn’t help but imagine Tony holding his hand, whispering reassurances to him. He would never get that though, and it was his own fault. Maybe if he hadn’t been so scared that Tony would reject him, things would be different. Maybe if he was more confident in his abilities, then he would have allowed himself to keep his baby. But he was convinced the baby would be better off without him. So that was what he was going to do.

Bruce was 8 cm dilated when he got to hospital. He’d been so preoccupied with everything that real contractions had never crossed his mind. Except when it got too painful. Bruce’s tolerance for pain was no help when giving birth as it turned out, he had to give in and have morphine, it was just so painful. He held out for as long as he could beforehand but baby boy didn’t come quickly enough for that. Thankfully, the baby boy decided to come within the 4 hours before the morphine wore off. Bruce considered himself quite lucky, he had a relatively easy birth.

* * *

Bruce couldn’t help but cry when his baby boy was placed in his arms. He knew that everything would be much better for Peter by living with the Parker’s. Bruce cradled the boy gently, completely unaware of anything going on around him. “I love you so much.” He told the baby, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. Bruce couldn’t stop the tears when he thought about how much he was going to miss by not keeping Peter, but he was willing to do what needed to be done. The door opened slightly but Bruce couldn’t bring himself to look away from his son. Then Bruce felt the gentle hand on his shoulder, knowing exactly who it was. “Isn’t he perfect, Mary?”

“He is. Bruce, you know you can keep him, right? He’s your baby, you’re allowed to change your mind.” Mary smiled, gently. She squeezed his shoulder gently.

“I can’t do that to either of you, besides all I want is what’s best for him. That’s definitely you and Richard. All I ask is to be a part of his life.” Bruce cried, allowing Mary to wrap both him and the baby in a hug.

“Mary and I have discussed it, and we want you to name him.” Richard offered.

“Really?” Bruce checked.

“Of course, he should have that bit of you. No matter what.” Richard smiled, placing a hand on Bruce’s shoulder.

“Hi, Peter.” Bruce whispered, tears falling down his face. Mary and Richard shared a look, their hearts breaking for their friend.

“Bruce, honestly, if you want to keep your son then that’s okay.” Mary assured.

“No, he needs to be with you guys, I just want to be in his life.” Bruce insisted.

“You are more than welcome to come to see us whenever you are able to, don’t hesitate to let us know when you plan on coming over, obviously we’ll need to know a little in advance in case we aren’t in, but that shouldn’t be too often.” Richard expanded.

“Are you going to be okay?” Mary asked, gently.

“Of course I will, eventually. It may take me some time but all I want right now is what’s best for Peter. There is no one in my life more important than him.” Bruce sniffled.

“You’re welcome to stay with us for a few weeks. Culver gave you three months off, didn’t they? You could take the time to spend with Peter or just take some time for yourself? Either way, you’re welcome to stay with us for as long as you need.” Richard offered.

“Thank you. He’s already taken to having a bottle, so that’s one less thing to worry about. I’m taking on a new project when I return to work, but I may return before the three months are up because I can’t afford to have 3 months unpaid leave on my salary.” Bruce explained, his mind not functioning properly, causing him to jump from topic to topic.

“That’s okay, you are free to do whatever you want to. Like we said, you are always welcome to come and see him.” Mary smiled.

“I want him to know, one day, that I am his dad.” Bruce whispered. “I don’t want him to think that I abandoned him, that I always love him and just wanted him to have the best opportunities in life.” Bruce stated, tears falling down his cheeks again. He snuggled Peter closer to him again before handing the tiny bundle over to Richard and Mary so they could coo over him. Bruce knew everything would be okay. Maybe one day, he would get to have a proper family.


End file.
